Incidents involving use of force fall in prisons

Lowest number is reported since 2008

1:38 AM,
Jul. 13, 2013

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| CentralOhio.com

Incidents involving the use of force by staff at Ohio's prisons fell 17 percent last year to the lowest level since 2008, according to a report released Thursday by the state's prison watchdog.

The Correctional Institution Inspection Committee identified 4,203 uses of force at the 28 facilities in the state's prison system in 2012. That's down from more than 5,000 in the previous year.

JoEllen Smith, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, said 2012 was the first full year of violence reduction reforms and marked the beginning of a new three-tier prison ...